Mountain Hawks Learn Valuable Lessons From Frog-X Parachute Team
8/15/2023 11:16:00 AM | Football
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – With preseason camp in full swing, the Lehigh football team took a break from training to learn some valuable lessons from our nation's veterans. Following last Wednesday's morning practice, the Mountain Hawks walked towards the open Goodman Campus fields.
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There, Lehigh players, coaches and athletics department staff were on hand to watch four members of the Frog-X Parachute Team execute jumps that landed on a target on the lawn between the south entrance of Goodman Stadium and the Rust Pavilion.
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Following the successful jump, the five members of Frog-X joined the football team for lunch before addressing the squad in Stabler Arena. The group, which included three former Navy SEALs and one Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, offered their perspectives on leadership, while also speaking on the importance of preparation and training as well as the value of teamwork.
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"The guys heard a lot of the same things that we talk about as a coaching staff," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill. "The leadership and the trust and building the bonds with each other. I was really appreciative of them spending some time with us and talking about their time in the military. Things that were good, things that were bad. It opened up some of our players' eyes. What they were doing was real life. What we are doing is just a game."
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"It was a unique experience that a lot of teams around the country aren't going to be able to have," added fifth-year defensive lineman Dean Colton. "For a lot of these guys it might be the first and only time we're going to see something like that. It was obviously a really cool experience and understanding all the steps that went into the process for that to happen. Hundreds of years of experience, thousands of jumps. They made it look easy but it was all about preparation."
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The event was made possible in part by football alumnus Brent Willey '75, a former teammate of Lehigh Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76. Several of Willey and Sterrett's teammates were on hand as well to witness the jumps and the discussion.
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Colton shared some of his takeaways from the experience.
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"The first takeaway is that we play a game," he said. "They put their lives on the line every time they go to work. We talk about our days being work days, but we don't have that ten-point of intensity. When we lose, we're still all right. When they lose, it means a lot more. The second takeaway is that when you take care of the man to your right and the man to your left and they do the same thing for you, it just raises the level of the room. If everybody is worried about themselves it's easier to let yourself fall below the standard. When everybody is holding each other accountable, that's when great teams are made."
ÂGallery: (8-15-2023) Frog-X Jump on Goodman Campus, 8/9/23
Frog-X is based out of San Diego and led by retired Navy SEAL Nix White. The team regularly participates in jumps at major sporting events, with funds raised from various appearances supporting the families of fallen special operations servicemen, and going to a museum of special military operations in San Diego.
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"I was blessed to be raised by my grandfather who was in the military, so to hear these guys talk about their service – he served in a lot of the same places," Colton explained. "Learning about all the training that went into all of their deployments, really puts things into perspective. If you think fall camp is hard, those guys train for years before going on their missions. We play a game. It's fun but we have to work hard. At the end of the day, it's a game."
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"This was as important as any practice we'll have," added Cahill. "Hearing from these guys and learning from them, learning from their experiences is just as important as anything we could've done on the field at any point."
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There, Lehigh players, coaches and athletics department staff were on hand to watch four members of the Frog-X Parachute Team execute jumps that landed on a target on the lawn between the south entrance of Goodman Stadium and the Rust Pavilion.
Â
Following the successful jump, the five members of Frog-X joined the football team for lunch before addressing the squad in Stabler Arena. The group, which included three former Navy SEALs and one Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance, offered their perspectives on leadership, while also speaking on the importance of preparation and training as well as the value of teamwork.
Â
"The guys heard a lot of the same things that we talk about as a coaching staff," said Lehigh head coach Kevin Cahill. "The leadership and the trust and building the bonds with each other. I was really appreciative of them spending some time with us and talking about their time in the military. Things that were good, things that were bad. It opened up some of our players' eyes. What they were doing was real life. What we are doing is just a game."
Â
"It was a unique experience that a lot of teams around the country aren't going to be able to have," added fifth-year defensive lineman Dean Colton. "For a lot of these guys it might be the first and only time we're going to see something like that. It was obviously a really cool experience and understanding all the steps that went into the process for that to happen. Hundreds of years of experience, thousands of jumps. They made it look easy but it was all about preparation."
Â
The event was made possible in part by football alumnus Brent Willey '75, a former teammate of Lehigh Dean of Athletics Joe Sterrett '76. Several of Willey and Sterrett's teammates were on hand as well to witness the jumps and the discussion.
Â
Colton shared some of his takeaways from the experience.
Â
"The first takeaway is that we play a game," he said. "They put their lives on the line every time they go to work. We talk about our days being work days, but we don't have that ten-point of intensity. When we lose, we're still all right. When they lose, it means a lot more. The second takeaway is that when you take care of the man to your right and the man to your left and they do the same thing for you, it just raises the level of the room. If everybody is worried about themselves it's easier to let yourself fall below the standard. When everybody is holding each other accountable, that's when great teams are made."
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Frog-X is based out of San Diego and led by retired Navy SEAL Nix White. The team regularly participates in jumps at major sporting events, with funds raised from various appearances supporting the families of fallen special operations servicemen, and going to a museum of special military operations in San Diego.
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"I was blessed to be raised by my grandfather who was in the military, so to hear these guys talk about their service – he served in a lot of the same places," Colton explained. "Learning about all the training that went into all of their deployments, really puts things into perspective. If you think fall camp is hard, those guys train for years before going on their missions. We play a game. It's fun but we have to work hard. At the end of the day, it's a game."
Â
"This was as important as any practice we'll have," added Cahill. "Hearing from these guys and learning from them, learning from their experiences is just as important as anything we could've done on the field at any point."
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Players Mentioned
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